Quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles on Dec. 7, 2025, but he nevertheless received a two-year, $88M contract that could be worth up to $100M to remain with the Indianapolis Colts this past offseason.
More recently, Jones played so poorly in Indianapolis’ 26-20 loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans on Sunday that Colts head coach Shane Steichen was asked after the defeat whether he was considering making a quarterback change. While Jones is on track to start when the 2-4 Colts play at the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 25, NFL insider Dan Graziano of ESPN wrote for a piece published on Sunday night that Indianapolis giving Jones a lucrative deal “was the biggest mistake any team made this offseason.”
Daniel Jones was “terrible” in loss to Titans
“Jones and the Colts lost to the Titans on Sunday,” Graziano explained. “That’s something no other team has done this season. Jones in this game? Well, he was terrible. He was 22-for-42 with a touchdown, two interceptions and a QBR of 20.4. It’s the fourth time in six games that his QBR has been under 35 (QBR is on a scale of 1 to 100, remember). It’s not even his worst QBR of the season — he somehow put up a 15.8 in a 30-13 Week 4 victory over the Commanders.”
Graziano noted that Jones “is statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in the league” this fall. According to Pro Football Reference, Jones began Monday ranked 27th in the NFL among qualified players with a 41.0 adjusted QBR and 29th with a 71.1 passer rating on the season. Per Stephen Holder of ESPN, Steichen acknowledged after Sunday’s loss that Jones and the offense “have to clean up the turnovers.”
Nevertheless, Steichen isn’t turning to Anthony Richardson Sr. or fellow backup Riley Leonard for the Minnesota game.
Daniel Jones is already costing people their jobs in Indianapolis
The perception has existed since this past winter that the figurative seats belonging to Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard were going to be quite hot heading into the 2026 season.
“It seems as if things are getting worse in Indianapolis instead of better,” Graziano added. “And if Jones doesn’t make an incredible turnaround and get this team into the playoffs, a whole lot of seats are going to start feeling pretty darn hot out there.”
Graziano was spot on, as the Colts confirmed on Monday morning that Ballard had been relieved of his duties. That development could lead one to believe that Steichen will be shown the door if Indianapolis fails to qualify for the playoffs in January.
